PokéTour: Fuchsia City

Introduction

Welcome one and all to the latest installment of PokéTour. Our last trip in Fortree City had us aching to find those cities with both the splendors of the city along with the touch of nature that can rarely be found in the average location. Fellow tourist Birkal quipped on never having a chance to visit Kanto, and with Fuchsia City and its renowned wildlife, we chartered a course straight for its luscious beaches. Meeting us up on the tour, Lady Salamence joined us after a visit to Ilex Forest. As a welcoming gift, she offered us some of the local Ilex Forest produce. Being a picky eater, I looked over some of the onions and remarked, "LS, these onions look rancid." She retorted, "No, Layell, they are perfectly fresh". Still dubious, I picked out the greenest one and it wasn't an onion at all; it was a Celebi! Shocked, the little green fairy activated its time-travel abilities and sent my companions across time. I looked around the empty bus. "You're going to help me find my time traveling pals, aren't you?" The little fairy nodded, looking ever guilty for causing this mayhem. Looking over my notes, Jellicent was supposed to write on culture, Birkal on music, Lady Salamence on Architecture, Superpowerdude on the competitive scene, and I, Layell... was supposed to wash the van...

It can stay dirty for another trip; I need to find these guys before we have to leave again!

Birkal on Music

One minute, Superpowerdude, Lady Salamence, and I were eating some delectable veggies on the PokéTour bus; the next, we were standing outside in Fuchsia City. Layell had been complaining about onions, but now he was no where to be seen. Even more distressing, the last I had seen of Jellicent, he was sawing logs in the back of the bus. Lord knows where he was now... I shrugged to myself; for now, I've got some tunes to listen to!

As we appeared in the city, a cutesy Lydian scale in A performed by some tinkling bells heralded our arrival. It lead into a chipper theme in the key of E major that was mostly scalar in tonality. An energetic brass section filled out the arrangement nicely with some peppy off-beat cues and digs. They were of particular note towards the end of the A theme, where they come in charging on beat one for a rapid flurry of sixteenth notes. The rhythm section of syncopated keyboard taps and slap bass drive the theme with plenty of enthusiasm, while also clearly outlining the I to V43 progression of the A theme. The B section of the city's theme brought it down low, as indicated by the percussion switching to rim shots on the snare and the diminuendo of the brass section. Of particular note here is the beautiful french horn harmonization that soars above the main theme. Although its time in the spotlight is short, it is a thing of beauty. And of course, a flourish of the drums on the fourth measure gives way to the bright downbeat of the A theme returning once again to regale us.

Superpowerdude on The Competitive Scene

I was eager to visit Fuchsia City, with thoughts of going to the Safari Zone and catching some new Pokémon racing through my mind. Now that we were suddenly there, my heart was pumping as I got closer and closer to a big building located north of the city. A man greeted me at the entrance with a smile on his face and said, "Hello! Welcome to the Pal Park." I was shattered to find out that the Safari Zone is not in Fuchsia City, despite the backpacker I met earlier telling me it was. Unfortunately, I couldn't catch any Pokémon in this 'Pal Park'; however, I could bring some of my Pokémon I left at Hoenn along with me on my journey via the Pal Park, so that was quite helpful.

As I was wandering out of the Pal Park, a juggler caught my eye. He told me that he was willing to trade some berries if I brought him some shards. I gladly took the trade so I could get rid of those annoying shards that were weighing down my backpack and get some berries for my Pokémon to use.

I looked around the rest of the city, and while it was pleasing to look at, it didn't have much to offer for battle-loving trainers like myself. So, I decided to test my battling skills by entering the city's Pokémon gym. I heard that Janine (Fuchsia City's Gym Leader) was a very strong trainer, so I was excited to challenge her. Upon walking into the gym, I got very frustrated. There seemed to be multiple Janines! I didn't know which one to challenge. Also, the fact that the gym had invisible walls made it very hard for me to challenge the trainers—or should I say imposters! After finally finding and beating Janine, I received TM84, Poison Jab.

Lady Salamence on Architecture

As I walked onto the reddish path that, in my opinion, defines the city known as Fuchsia, I was immediately pleased with my first PokéTour assignment. The city was beautiful, from the path to the houses; even the little touches such as the street lamps and the flowers contributed to how beautiful this city is. The strange layout (you can't reach the Pokémon Center without going around a giant rock and an impassible ledge? What's up with the rock anyway?) and the fact it's rather out of the way doesn't help its case, but the Gym Leader gives you a pink heart if you win. I have no complaints.

While I could rave about this city for decades on how pretty it is, I'm supposed to be discussing the architecture. Fuchsia is a very interesting case, as there are only four houses, completely different from one another aside for two which are identical. Sure, there's the Gym, Pokémon Center, and Pokémart, but those designs should be etched into every Pokémon Master's head.

The identical houses have an interesting setup that makes me think they aren't houses, but used for another purpose, such as greenhouses or for a (Pokémon) daycare, mainly due to its pink roof and apparent lack of doors when I tried to figure out how to get in. One house, it would seem, comes directly from a western town—cream roof and brownish exterior, especially the way it's set up. The other house makes me think it's the Gym Leader's house just by neighboring the Gym and its scary demeanor, which may be due only to the red roof. Regardless, the gym creeps me out, and now I want to go home... Where are the people that came with me...?

Jellicent on Culture

As I woke and stretched out, I noticed I was no longer on the PokéTour bus. Had I wandered off drunkenly again? I looked around and spotted a sign the said Fuchsia City. Perfect, this is where our next assignment was anyway! Glancing down at my Pokétch, I realized we were only supposed to be here for another hour. Shit, I'd have to move fast. I jumped up, rushed into the first house I saw, and quickly inquired who they all were. Relatives of Bill... I did a 180 and ran out. Don't tell anyone, but I've been storing my Pokémon on his PC for ages. It's his fault for not password-protecting the Wi-Fi. The Gym was next door, so I tried there. Unfortunately, the Gym Leader was really into houses of glass and I had no time for his carny mind games.

The city's layout could not have been more confusing for a man on the run. I could see the PokéMart, but without Cut, it might as well have been miles away. I found a pair of identical houses and hustled into the one on the right. Some guy handed me a fishing pole and offered to let me fish out back. "Thanks, but I gotta go," I replied, rushing off with the rod. The other house contained an old, possibly-drunken man sloshing out incoherent phrases. This was the Safari Zone warden? I left him slobbering on himself and headed north. Outside of the Safari Zone was a giant zoo, which itself is kinda like a Safari Zone where you're not allowed to catch anything, aka pointless. Spotting an item ball in one of the enclosures, I figured I at least had time to reel in something rare and cast out my line. Electricity instantly pulsed through my veins and suddenly made me feel both dead and very alive. Why is it always a Voltorb? Who puts a Voltorb in a zoo? If that's the kind of Pokémon they find exotic, the Safari Zone can not be worth the 500 PokéDollars.

The closest building harbored a group of Safari Zone employees shooting the breeze. Apparently, they refer to the warden as "Slowpoke" because of his vacant appearance. One of the workers seemed troubled that Slowpoke had a speech problem. I reassured him that it sounded more like a drinking problem and headed back outside. Pulling out my Pokégear, I dialed up Birkal. "Yeah, you can come pick me up. What? It's me, Jelli... You know, Jellicent... Come on, man, we've been traveling around the world together writing about culture and music for ages... Yeah, it does sound like a cool idea; that's why we did it... Are you having memory loss or something? Just get in the bus, find a guy called Jellicent, and we can get back to touring the world... Alright, see you soon, I hope..."

Looking back down at my Pokétch, I noticed what year it was. Had I slept backwards in time!?

Conclusion

Luckily for Birkal, Superpowerdude, and Lady Salamence, they had only been transported a few hours into the future. Layell and Celebi came rolling up in the filthy bus not long after they appeared in Fuchsia City. A drunken, yammering Jellicent soon wandered over to the bus and joined them as well. With everyone reunited once more, Celebi flew back towards Ilex Forest.

If you're wondering what Jellicent was doing there, well... he waited. He waited a long, long time. During his stay in Fuchsia, his boisterous late-night antics were enough to drive Koga and the Warden out of the city. Anyway, we here at PokéTour hope to see you all again sometime soon. Until then, we've got some traveling to do!